Click here —> Experience Eurovision ~~ Eurovision YouTube Channel
Hey Everyone!
Now that the shouting and celebrating over San Remo over, it’s back to work for The Guys. Gianluca recently tweeted that he was in Bologna in the recording studio, so work on what promises to be a stellar album continues (on a side note, let me just say how abjectly in love I am with the Sanremo EP 😀 ). And I’m sure preparations for their upcoming Eurovision run are in full swing as well.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2015 will be held at the Wiener Stadthalle arena in Vienna, Austria on May 19th, 21st and 23rd. It is an amazing and prestigious opportunity for them, so I thought we should learn more about it.
Premiering in 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest is the longest running televised music competition and one of Europe’s best-loved television shows.
The idea to have different acts from different countries compete against each other was actually conceived by the EBU (European Broadcast Union) in 1955 by Frenchman, Marcel Bezençon, and was based on the concept of (ironically enough) the Festival di San Remo, which first aired in 1951. At that time, it was considered a zealous undertaking to bring so many different countries together via the medium of television, since the plan was to broadcast the event throughout all represented countries at the same time, and the technology obviously wasn’t what it is today.
Proof of how well-loved the show is in Europe is demonstrated by the fact that it has been held and broadcast without fail since 1956. Up to 43 countries have been represented in one competition, and it has been broadcast throughout the world, including in countries that do not actively participate.
Winning this competition allows the winning artist(s) to use the publicity to further their career(s) and can even pave the way for international success. Winners include such names as Abba, Celine Dion and Julio Iglesias.
Click the links below to learn more.
Eurovision Song Contest Wikipedia Page
Eurovision Song Contest Facebook Page
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Vienna
Vienna is the capital and primary city in Austria, with more than 20 percent of the country calling the city home. Austria itself has something of a war-torn history in the early to mid twentieth century, but in recent years, Vienna has risen to be recognized as one of the world’s “Most Livable Cities” as well as for its “Culture of Innovation.”
It is also regarded as the “City of Music” for its rich musical culture, which was also noted to me by Myron, our own music educator:
“…Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Haydn, Mahler and many other great musicians lived there. Kind of like New York is for the USA. In other words: a great place for a music competition.”
An overview of Vienna’s history can be found on the Vienna Wikipedia Page.
Wiener Stadthalle Arena
The Wiener Stadthalle Arena is an indoor arena and convention center in the 15th district of Vienna. It was designed by Roland Reiner, and construction took place between 1953 and 1958. The arena holds roughly 16,000 people and hosts about 350 events per year, but there are several other buildings and sports venues that make up the complex. Visit the Wiener Stadthalle Wikipedia page for the details, and The Stadthalle Multimedia Page on its official website for pictures and videos.
Grande Amore
So we know that this is the song Il Volo is taking to the contest, and why shouldn’t they? Have I mentioned that I love it? Well, just in case there is any confusion, I do! I do; I do! 😀 I’m not going to say anything else. Just enjoy the graphic tweeted from our affiliate, AAIV, regarding the song’s debut on the Billboard Chart while watching the official video!
~~ Kelly
https://twitter.com/allaboutilvolo/status/569540783315009536
** Note: all information for this article was gathered using the websites linked throughout. **
Kelly, you have done one fantastic job on your Eurovision article… Great history lesson of Eurovision which here in the USA we know very little of… Some of us may have never heard of the Eurovision contest had it been for Il Volo … They certainly provide with so much more than music… The history of Vienna is not only interesting but filled with beautiful pictures as well… It is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe… You woke a beautiful memory for me, I would love to go back and visit Vienna once again…
Thank you, Jeannette! Every time I post a picture of someplace in Europe, I dream of going there someday. 🙂
If you can dream it you can do it… Just put it on your bucket list and work toward that goal… I always wanted to travel, and when the girls were grown and gone, I did… Europe was a dream come true, Italy was my roots and I truly left my heart there… I am going to go back one day, thanks to Il Volo waking up my memories of Italy… It’s not a dream, its on the must do list … I hope the same for you …
I will be waiting to see the TV show. I hope it will be broadcast in the U.S. Joanie G
Vienna looks so beautiful! I love classic architecture.
Now, I have a rather silly question for the more musically informed among us. It’s been bugging me for awhile now and I’m not sure how to articulate it. Does Il Volo sing bel canto techinque, or do they mean it in a literal sense as “beautiful singing”? Or is it a term they use for the older songs such as ‘O sole mio?
Here are some links that might help explain my confusion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Beocer7gbLI
*technique, my goodness. They need an edit option on here! ^o^
Thank you, Random, for these informative videos about Bel Canto. It’s more than I can comprehend, but do appreciate some education on the subject. It’s amazing how much technique and training is involved in developing the operatic voice. Piero, I hope you are able to follow your dream of achieving that goal. You have been blessed with a voice that makes it possible. Actually we love it right now, but know that there is a grand future ahead for you.
No problem! There’s a wealth of knowledge available online about the subject. I, too, hope that Piero pursues his goal. He is already marvelous but I’d love to see where operatic training would take him.
Here are some more videos if you’re interested.
Part 2 of the afore mentioned Callas clip:
“The Art of Singing” which has a great selection of bel canto clips.
This one is not directly related to bel canto, but it’s a delightful conversation nonetheless.
Kelly, beautiful article. So informative. This city has always intrigued me since a young girl when I first saw The Sound of Music. What a thrilling time it will be for our guys! Of course I will predict they will win in a HUGE way! 🙂
Thank you! I believe in my heart Il Volo will win. Europe can’t help but love them. 🙂
Other current singers that have received formal vocal training.: I have always been harping about the wonderful training the boys have with their voices – voice teachers – vocal coaches, etc. Also, how they put all that preparation to work every time they sing. I have sometimes mentioned that there are others with that training that are famous but sometimes they don’t use those methods when performing. Last night, if you watched the Oscars tv show from Hollywood you saw one brilliant example. Lady GAGA – whose normal singing shows very little good technique (but she has had the training ! ! ) sang a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Sound of Music and also to Julie Andrews ( who has the training, obviously, but had a bad medical problem with her voice a few years ago) – GAGA showed off her incredible trained instrument and sang those songs beautifully. Wonderful vowels, great tone quality, great projection, etc. etc. What a wonderful way to do tribute to Julie. It was the highlight of the evening. John Legend has also had some vocal training and showed it somewhat in his song “Glory” – not as much though.
Great to listen to. Our boys seem to find female singers that are not the greatest compliment to their fantastic voices. Here is one that would make a nice duet on good music. Il Volo and GAGA. Could be.
Although her style has never appealed to me, I have always admired her voice. I personally prefer her acapella.
I like the idea of Il Volo and Lady Gaga. It might not work at the moment because she’s already tried the juxtaposed styles approach with Tony Bennett. Perhaps somewhere down the road it could happen (especially if they won Eurovision!)
I agree about the female singers. To be honest, I can’t really think of a female counterpart in the same age bracket. Gaga is one of the few that comes to mind. Constantemente Mía was a decent song, but it seemed to lack… something, whatever that is. Belinda struck me more as a entertainer than a singer. Perhaps it’s Il Volo’s fault for raising the bar! 😛
Jackie Evancho could sing with them.
Yes, she’s one of them! Thanks for mentioning her, her name escaped me for a moment!
She is one of the few! And there is that other little girl, the Dutch one, whose name escapes me–the one who taught herself opera. She also would be amazing.
Kelly, thank you so much for this wonderful article! Tradition, History, Art, Music all wrapped together in one easy & inspiring lesson!! I so appreciate the effort you put into this! I have much new knowledge because of Il Volo!!! Knew nothing about the Sanremo Musical Festival or the Eurovision Contest before our sweethearts were invited to participate!!! The journey continues. Grande Amore!!!
I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 I’m getting quite a lesson too…every time I write an article. 🙂
Kelly thank you for working so hard. The Eurovision information is fantastic. It has taken me all day to make sure I haven’t missed a word. I did see mentioned which confused me that if a singer has sung a song shortly before the Eurovision concert & was planning to sing it at Eurovision that it has to be changed for another one. Then I saw that Il Volo is listed as singing Grande Amore so I don’t know what Eurovision was referring to. Anyway if they had to change the song they would pick the right one to sing & would still win hands down.
Thanks Random for the delightful videos of opera singers very informative. It was nice to see & hear Maria Callas & a few other opera singers I recognized & llstened to them again
I have to disagree with you Penina I don’t think Jackie Evancho is a good matchfor the Il Volo boys I would prefer them to sing with someone with the quality of Maria Callas.
Anastasia was not a good match either my opinion of course.
There was a girl mentioned a couple of years ago with black hair & she sang with the same quality as Maria Callas. Don’t remember her name but she was quite young & beautiful. I seem to think they were on the same billing as her.
Sorry I don’t agree with anyone about Lady Gaga UUGG
Did you see videos of her oscar performance? She was fantastic. She can sing when she wants to!
Thanks, Loretta! I like Jackie Evanko. She probably could hold her own with The Guys. But she’s still so young and shy. 🙂
I am a fan of Lady Gaga and John Legend (His “All of Me” is one of the songs I hope is on the Boys next album. Ignazio did a brief self-video of it a while back). Thanks Myron, now I have a good reason why I like them both. I don’t think we would be satisfied with any female singing with our guys. However, I would entertain these ladies giving it a try: Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Jackie Evancho, and that young Asian/American girl whose name I forget.
Kelly, I will encourage you to re-run this marvelous article again in early May! You must know that I will forget it all by then.
Thanks for the compliment, Marie. Remind me in May! 🙂
Most people do not know the background and training Lady Gaga has had… She not only is a trained singer but also plays several instruments… But she has said that she was getting nowhere in the music business, so she felt she had to have a hook, hence the name and the flamboyant wardrobe, and suddenly she was a star… Our guys have always said they love her music, so I had to read up on her for that reason and was surprised to find out that the woman behind the silly getup was so much more than meets the eye… Tony Bennett knew this and that is why the duets were with her and they have a hit album because of his right on instinct..
thanks Jeannette. Interesting.
I think that this story shows the disgraceful taste of some of the American Public. That Lady Gaga had to go to such lengths to make it in our music business when she has so much real talent…it just makes me sick inside. Especially when I see some other acts that I listen and wonder why they get paid obscene amounts of money to make “music.”
Yes, thats the truth… In this day and age, talent isn’t what counts, its what catches the attention of the crude and rude who buy the music… I am so proud of our guys, not only because the have the best voices on the planet, but because they were strong enough when they started out to listen to their management and their parents and believe in themselves at such a young age that they did not fall to the temptation to go with a crude hype to get noticed… They took the high road and it has paid off, and they will endure for years to come… There will be no here today and gone tomorrow for them…